April 25, 2008  

(Washington, D.C.) – School bus drivers and monitors at First Student’s Greensboro, North Carolina yard voted today 87-8 to secure Teamsters Local 391 as their bargaining representative. This victory comes on the heels of several successful Teamster elections for First Student workers in Connecticut, Nebraska, New Hampshire and New Jersey. Like their coworkers across the country, the Greensboro First Student employees joined the Teamsters seeking fair pay, affordable health insurance, improved safety and respect in the workplace.

“I’m feeling good now,” said James Moore, a seven-year driver with First Student in Greensboro. “We need more affordable medical insurance and we should be paid for what we do. We have a huge responsibility transporting children. Everybody’s happy and united for this, as you can see from the vote count.”

The 117 First Student drivers and monitors perform contract work with the Guilford County Schools. According to Local 391 organizer Rachel Baisden, the new members learned the benefits of Teamster membership from the Guilford County drivers, who are members of Local 391. The First Student employees then contacted Local 391 to organize as Teamsters.

“We are happy to welcome these hardworking men and women to the Teamsters,” said Jack Cipriani, President of Teamsters Local 391 and Teamsters Joint Council 9. “They were serious about making improvements in their workplace and stuck together as a team to accomplish this overwhelming victory. We look forward to negotiating for the improvements that they need and deserve.”

This victory is the latest in an effort to organize private school bus and transit workers across the country. Drive Up Standards is a national campaign to improve safety, service and work standards in the private school bus and transit industry. Since the campaign began in 2006, more than 6,700 workers have become Teamsters.

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States and Canada.